1.2 million children need immediate eye checkup

By Mahima Devkota, Kathmandu, Oct.13: Around 1.2 million children in Nepal need eye intervention, that is, either an immediate eye checkup or glasses. 

In a press brief organized by Netra Jyoti Sangh, Yuddha Dhoj Sapkota, Board Member of the Netra Jyoti Sangh, also, regional program co-coordinator of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) said that 20 per cent of children from 9-17 age group needs eyeglasses in Nepal but, 17 per cent of them are not aware that they need intervention. Meanwhile, 1.2 million children need immediate intervention. 

According to him, eye problem in children is surging as outdoor activities are decreasing in the country, especially children living in urban areas and from the upper socio-economic background, are being affected by ocular diseases as they are more engaged with screens than outdoor activities. 

The research conducted by IAPB before the lockdown showed that around 5 – 10 per cent of children living in rural belts and 10- 20 per cent of children from urban areas have eye diseases. It is due to the lack of outdoor activities in urban children. This percentage is expected to rise after the COVID-19 pandemic as more children were stuck at home amid lockdown. 

Bharat Bahadur Chand, Secretary General of the Netra Jyoti Sangh, said that children need at least 14 hours of outdoor activities in a week, but, many children nowadays stay indoors, therefore, many children are now developing eye issues. 

He said that “Cataracts, trachoma, and vitamin A deficiency are the major causes of blindness in Nepal. Regular eye screening, intensive free eye camps, availability of eyeglasses, and including people who are still not in access to the eye can solve a majority of eye problems in Nepal and prevent blindness.” 

Secretary Chand, said that after Maldives and Bhutan, Nepal stands third in providing eye care among the eight SAARC countries. We are able to achieve this with support from public-private partnerships. 80- 90 per cent of eye service in Nepal has been facilitated by public-private partnerships. 

Prof. Dr Chet Raj Panta, Chairperson of the Netra Jyoti Sangh, said that blindness in Nepal stood at 0.81 per cent in 1981 which came down to 0.35 per cent in 2010. However, the target is to reduce it to below 0.2 per cent. However, there are three main hurdles to providing effective and efficient eye care in Nepal. 

The majority of people in rural belts are not in access to eye care and are not aware of it, disproportionate availability of hospitals and resources, and cost management are hindering eye care in Nepal. 

He stressed that that are many patients with ocular diseases, who are not receiving eye care because of ignorance and lack of awareness. 

One in every 400 people blind in Nepal

Chairperson Panta informed The Rising Nepal online that one in every 400 people in Nepal is blind, but, 80 per cent of the blindness could have been prevented with early intervention. 

80 per cent of ocular diseases are preventable

Dr Sanjeev Bhattarai, Assistant Professor in the T.U Teaching Hospital said that most ocular diseases such as cataracts, retinal, cornal blindness, and glaucoma, are 80 per cent preventable if they are intervened timely. 

He said, “ The leading cause of blindness is cataracts which causes 65 per cent of blindness, followed by retinal (9 per cent), cornal blindness (6 per cent), glaucoma ( 5per cent), ARMD (4  per cent), refractive errors (4  per cent), globe abnormality ( 4 per cent), and rest 4 per cent is caused by surgical or diabetic retinopathy).” 

World Sight Day is observed today around the globe to raise awareness of the importance of good eye health around the globe. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Love your eye.’